The board of NHS Dumfries and Galloway has approved £2.2m plans to integrate A&E and out-of-hours (OOHs) services at Galloway Royal Infirmary in order to bring down waiting lists.
Spanning more than 1,500 square metres, the new department will include: reception and patient administration, triage, resuscitation area, examination and treatment areas; an X-ray facility; GP OOHs; NHS 24; orthopaedic outpatients; and general support accomodation.
A partial physical redesign of the department has already been completed, and the proximity of the OOHs service and a satellite of NHS 24 will make integration easier.
The board is now looking for an architect to design and administer the procurement and lead the design team for the project, which is expected to be completed in autumn 2009.
